A Case of Fictional Reality
by Carolyne Smythe
Summary: A tale in which two members of the Fantastic Five meet Sherlock Holmes and Watson!
1. Part One

A Case of Fictional Reality  
By  
Carolyne Smythe  
  
"...At his advice, on the afternoon of the fourth we set off together, with the intention of crossing the hills and spending the night at the hamlet of Rosenlaui. We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about halfway up the hills, without making a small detour to see them. It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip..."  
  
Marilyn Richards, better known to her admiring public as Miss Fantastic read to herself in a small room as her stepfather's voice boomed from the adjoining laboratory.  
  
"MARY! Put THAT BOOK DOWN, and come over HERE!"  
  
Mary sighed and peered from her rather thick book, entitled The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes to the entrance of the mechanics lab Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic was working in. That particular day was not one of the best days she had ever had in assisting her stepfather. Mary was strangely being quite a klutz, and did not enjoy it one bit. Earlier that morning she had dropped a test-tube containing what was thankfully a harmless substance in the biology lab. But never the less, Reed was indeed peeved with her for causing such a mess. And without hesitance, ordered Mary to immediately clean it up. Even before the accident, he had been in a foul mood. Mary had only begun working for him, when five minutes later she kept thinking on and off.  
  
"Boy, did Father get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?"  
  
Unfortunately, things only went more downhill for Mary after the biology lab incident. And, it had gotten to the point where she knew her stepfather quite possibly preferred to be alone for the rest of the day. Reluctantly, Mary plodded into the mechanics lab still gripping the book her stepfather had demanded she put down earlier. Oddly, Reed apparently did not happen to see the book as he began speaking to his stepdaughter once she entered the room.  
  
"Now Mary, I don't know what is going on with you today. But, if you cause one more accident, I will... how should I put this?"  
  
Reed stood there pondering for a short moment while Mary thought.  
  
"Come on Father, just say it. I will be kicked out of the lab."  
  
"You will be laid off from assisting me the rest of the day. Is that clear?"  
  
"Crystal." Mary said tersely.  
  
As Reed walked over to his tool board, he said to his daughter firmly.  
  
"Now Mary, don't get curt with me. You know very good and well that what you have caused today has been rather unusual for you. You are normally not that clumsy."  
  
Since he did not really appear to have any orders that moment for her, Mary said nothing more as she pulled up a little metal chair, and sat down beside of the space/time apparatus her stepfather had gotten to work on an hour earlier. There, she took the book in her hand, and flipped back to the page she had left off at.  
  
"...The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with their constant whirl and clamour. We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which came booming up with the spray out of the abyss..."  
  
She paused as an idea came to her.  
  
"Father usually is proud of me when I read a classic story or novel like this, especially if it happens to be in a book he gave to me, like this! Maybe a little small talk about what I'm reading will lighten him up a little..."  
  
Mary looked up from her book at the bold, middle-aged, slightly irritated man standing before her making adjustment after adjustment to the colossal machine that would eventually help transport her and her four elder friends to not only other centuries and eras in time, but also other dimensions. Gathering up her courage, Mary managed a weak smile upon her face, and said.  
  
"Father, I really adore this book you gave me a few days ago! It's like you said, these stories are indeed timeless and classic!"  
  
Without even glancing up, Reed spoke unenthusiastically.  
  
"Yes, my child, I told you I felt those were some of the best stories ever written in British literature."  
  
Mary continued, hoping Reed would lose his feelings of rage over the morning's petty happenings.  
  
"I'm reading this tale called "The Adventure of The Final Problem". The descriptions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's trip in Switzerland are very breathtaking!"  
  
"Yes, I am sure they are." Reed said, in a bit more perturbed voice than his last comment.  
  
Mary decided that maybe she should take a more active approach to combating her stepfather's anger than small talk.  
"Father, maybe Sue is right about you working too much lately. Why don't you just take a break from working on that apparatus, and read a few lines of this story?"  
  
"Mary, Sue always feels like I'm working too much." Reed said tartly.  
  
"But Father, if you would take some time out, read a few lines of this, and imagine you are in Switzerland during the Victorian times instead of here, I really think you would feel much better."  
  
Mary opened the book to the very page she wanted Reed to read. Unfortunately, her plan had quite the opposite effect she wanted it to have on her stepfather. He finally brought his head up from concentrating on the contraption, and snapped.  
  
"MARY! NOT NOW! BESIDES, DIDN'T I INDICATE THAT I WANTED THAT LEFT IN THE BREAK ROOM?!"  
  
Startled by Reed's uncharacteristic outburst, Mary suddenly got up from the chair and dropped the huge book. To her and Reed's horror, the book landed on the apparatus' switch, which turned the machine on.  
  
"NOW LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"  
  
Reed hollered at Mary. She was not paying attention to him, but instead was more focused on what was going on around them. Despite her stepfather's intense rage, she calmly said.  
  
"Father, would you yell at me later, and at least assess this situation right now?"  
  
As soon as she said that, they noticed the wild arrays of colors surrounding them, and realized what was happening. They were being transferred to a different time, and there was nothing they could do about it but watch the wonder of it all.  



	2. 

When the colors flying around them died down, Reed and Mary felt rather dizzy.  
  
"Oh man... Father, are you okay?" Mary woozily asked with a little concern.  
  
"As fine as I will ever be as soon as the usual effects of time travel wear off." Reed responded sternly.  
  
Once the dizziness faded away, Mary began to take stock of her and Reed's surroundings. They had apparently appeared in an alley, for walls surrounded them on three sides. Mary then glanced through the alleyway's opening at the street beyond. There were hundreds of people along with horse drawn carriages making their way through the street. These people were clad in some of the most peculiar clothes Mary had ever seen. The majority of women she saw wore incredibly elaborate dresses made out of a variety of materials. Some of the women Mary witnessed wore bloomers. She also saw that the men were wearing rather fancy suits, with ties unlike any she had ever seen. Mary also made note of how every single one of the men wore a round bowler hat, or derby. She crept closer to the alley's entrance to view some of the stores embracing the street. The stores she saw included an apothecary's, a tobacconist's, a Chinese Laundromat, and even a bowery where men could enter to get high off of opium. It was then that Mary realized what era her and her stepfather were stuck in. She could recognize it from the very book of stories and their illustrations that had caused them to end up there in the first place.  
  
"Father! Do you know what time we are in? We are in..." Mary blurted out excitedly.  
  
"Yes Mary, we are in Victorian London. I already figured it out." Reed solemnly interrupted.  
  
Sensing her father's slowly weakening, but still intense anger, Mary gingerly crept to where her book stood sprawled out on the very page she had it opened to a few minutes ago on the ground a few inches away. She picked the book up, brushed the dirt on the cover from it lying on the street off, and turned to the very first page where a map of Victorian London was printed.  
  
"Father, unless you have some sort of device to get us out of here, here is a map that might definitely come in handy." Mary meekly said as she handed the book to Reed.  
  
"Thank you Mary. It will most certainly come in handy because I do not have a device that will take us back to our own time. Thanks to you and this, we may be trapped in this time for the rest of our lives. Unless Ben, Sue, or Johnny can somehow figure out how to work the space/time apparatus, which is more than unprobable the way they hardly understand what I am talking about during our meetings."  
  
The tone in his voice indicated to Mary that Reed was cooling down, but still had a bit of rage in him. She asked.  
  
"Father, what are we going to do about clothes? We cannot walk around London, especially during this era in our uniforms!"  
  
"We are not in our uniforms my child. Look at yourself!"  
  
Mary looked down, and saw that she was wearing a typical Victorian style dress a girl her age would wear. It was not as fancy as what a fully-grown woman would wear, but it was on up there. Mary then glanced at her stepfather, and noticed he was then wearing a suit along with a hat just like the men she had seen a few minutes earlier. In his hand was a parasol typical of what all Englishmen had possession of during that time.  
  
"F...f...father, how did we get into these clothes? How did you get that?" Mary asked in a voice of astonishment.  
  
"That's one of the more nifty features of the space/time apparatus Mary. It not only transports you to the time or dimension you want to be in, but it appropriates the clothes you are wearing. We are still wearing our uniforms, what you and I see on one another will be what everyone will see. The umbrella just happened to be part of my outfit." Replied Reed in a calmer tone than what he had been using. He continued.  
  
"We might as well find a place to stay at for tonight, seeing that Ben, Sue, or Johnny will not find out about our disappearance for at least a few hours, maybe even until tomorrow."  
  
Mary was getting ready not to say anything as a way of being in agreement with her stepfather, until suddenly, an idea came to her.  
  
"Wait Father! Before we find a place to stay at, I want to go somewhere."  
  
Reed looked at his stepdaughter in somewhat puzzled.  
  
"Where could you possibly want to go in this filthy city right before sundown?!"  
  
Mary stared back at Reed with disbelief.  
  
"Oh come now Father. London is filthy? This is clean compared to Manhattan."  
  
As she said that, Mary grabbed the book from her stepfather's hands. She took a quick glimpse at the map on the very first page, turned her head to Reed, and let out.  
  
"Alright, if we want to make it to the very destination I want to go to in less than an hour, we need to start heading this way."  
  
While saying that, Mary pointed to the right. And from there on, even though Reed did not appreciate how Mary took charge of the situation, he was quite curious to see the destination Mary wanted to be at, and did not say anything as they treaded through the streets of London in the late 1800's.  



	3. 

After an hour of walking upon the hard cobblestones and pavement that made up London's streets, Reed and Mary finally reached their objective. Reed's feet ached, and he felt very hungry. He saw Mary staring up at a street sign with a huge smile spreading across her face.  
  
"Is this it my child? Is this where you wanted to go?" He asked, exhausted and desperate.  
  
"Indeed it is Father!" Mary chirped, then went on.  
  
"Take a look at that sign Father, can you tell me what is so special about it?"  
  
Reed peered at the sign for a moment. It said "Baker Street".  
  
"Well, other than the fact that this is Baker Street, I honestly do not know..."  
  
Suddenly, Reed paused as he realized what his stepdaughter found noteworthy about where they were.  
  
"Mary... You could not mean... You could not think... You could not believe...?" Reed said unbelievingly.  
  
"Yes I do Father. We are getting ready to see..." Mary casually replied as Reed interrupted.  
  
"Mary, Sherlock Holmes DOES NOT EXIST! He is just a fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the mere purpose of making money, and entertainment."  
  
As Reed said that, Mary kept bobbing her head up and down, as if saying.  
  
"Blah, blah, blah..."  
  
When Reed was done, in a bothered tone, Mary said.  
  
"Father! Don't you see this as a golden opportunity to experiment some more on what the space/time apparatus can do? We at least now know that the ability to disguise its travelers work. Now, we can find out if we are in another dimension!"  
  
"Well..." Reed responded.  
  
"Of course it is!" chimed Mary.  
  
"Ok." Reed sighed.  
  
He and Mary walked down Baker Street, until a minute later, they were outside the supposed home of Sherlock Holmes and his friend, Dr. Watson, 221B Baker Street. Mary appeared to be in ecstasy.  
  
"Oh man!! We are now outside the very, very place Sherlock Holmes calls home! Father, aren't you the least bit excited?"  
  
Reed rolled his eyes; embarrassed at his daughter getting excited over someone he felt and knew was just fiction. Then, he said.  
  
"Mary, I would be excited if the very man you seek did exist. Now that you have seen his "home", could we please find a place to stay for tonight? It is starting to get dark, and I recall reading that the streets of Victorian London were not the safest to be out on after dark."  
  
As Reed finished his speech on finding an inn, the doors of 221B Baker Street opened, and out came a motley group of boys all dressed in the dirtiest and most raggedy garb Reed and Mary had ever beheld anyone wearing. All of them were laughing and carrying on over an assorted range of subjects. The most frequently mentioned ones being the fact that someone had given them money, and what a nice man that person was. Reed and Mary hid by the apartment's side in a side street as the gang passed by them.  
  
"Father! Th...those were the Baker Street Irregulars!" Mary exclaimed as she and Reed came out from hiding.  
  
Reed was about to disprove to Mary that the boys were the famous group who often helped Sherlock Holmes solve various crimes, when suddenly, an old woman dressed in a maid's outfit walked out huffily. She had a broom in her hand like she was going to shoo someone with it, but then a look of relief came to her face. Reed and Mary overheard the woman mumble.  
  
"I wish Mr. Holmes would not invite those boys in like that! They always cause such a stir!"  
  
The stepfather and stepdaughter watched the maid sweep the steps leading up to 221B Baker Street, and then enter back in. Mary witnessed what happened with a sparkle in her brown eyes. She turned to Reed, and proclaimed.  
  
"That had to be Mrs. Hudson! Sherlock's maid and housekeeper!"  
  
Reed stared at Mary with a skeptic look. Then said.  
  
"My child, my child. For all we know, that could have been a bunch of children who happen to reside here, in other words, this could be an orphanage. Her mentioning a man by the name of Holmes was more than likely coincidence. And, she may be as old as Mrs. Hudson was described to be, but I am sure she does not go by that name."  
  
"In other words, you do not believe what I believe." Mary said.  
  
"That is very much correct." Replied Reed.  
  
"Ok then Father-dearest. If you really do not believe in what we have just seen, then I dare you to do the ultimate thing, walk up to that door, knock on it, and let's pay Mr. Holmes a visit right now!"  
  
Reed could not believe Mary had just said what she said to him.  
  
"Now Mary, you are more mature than that."  
  
"Come on Father, let's end this quibble once and for all, and see if there really is a Sherlock Holmes. I dare you to knock on that door."  
  
"You know my feelings on games like Truth or Dare Mary. I think they are absurd, and not to mention immature."  
  
"I dare you."  
  
There Reed and Mary stood bickering at one another. This lasted for ten minutes, until finally, the maid they had seen earlier poked her head out the door, and said.  
  
"Is Mr. Holmes expecting you?"  
  
Before Reed could do or say anything, Mary interjected.  
  
"Why yes he is expecting our presence! Is Mr. Holmes ready to see us?"  
  
"I will go and check." The maid responded.  
The maid went into the building, and then came back out two minutes later.  
  
"Mr. Holmes will be ready to see you in a moment. Why not come in, and get warm. Would you like a little tea?"  
  
Reed and Mary followed the maid into 221B Baker Street.   
  
"Thank you madam. It is awfully kind of you to offer us tea this late in the afternoon." Reed said.  
  
"Oh, you are very welcome. By the way, call me Mrs. Hudson. Everybody does." The maid replied.   
  
Mrs. Hudson made them sit down in a very tiny lobby while she went to get them some tea.  
  



	4. 

"Reed? Can you come out of the lab for a second?" Susan Storm Richards, otherwise called the Invisible Woman called outside of the threshold to the mechanics lab.  
  
"Reed? There is something wrong with the television's reception, could you please come out for a second and fix it?"  
  
Sue quickly became concerned.  
  
"This is not like Reed. He responds to my every call..." She mumbled to herself.  
  
Sue entered the mechanics lab, her eyes darting around the room looking for Reed and Mary.  
  
"Reed? Mary? Where are you? Are you OK?"  
  
Suddenly, something caught Sue's eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the apparatus still slightly sparking, with tiny wisps of smoke rising up. Immediately, she got an idea of what happened to the two most brilliant members of the Fantastic Five.  
  
"BEN! JOHNNY! COME TO THE MECHANICS LAB NOW!" Sue screamed over the intercom.  
  
In less than a minute, Benjamin Grimm, better known as the Thing, and Johnny Storm, also called the Human Torch made their entrance into the mechanics lab.  
  
"What is it Sis? Whoa! What happened?" Johnny ejected.  
  
Seeing the sparks coming out from the controls for the contraption, Ben quickly responded.  
  
"I betta grab an extinguisher quick, bee-fore those sparks start a fire."  
  
Ben thundered onward towards a wall, where a fire extinguisher was hanging, and gently picked it up. Carefully, he put out the sparks emitting from the machine.  
"As you two can obviously see, Reed and Mary have disappeared. I have very strong feelings that this machine very much has something to do with their disappearance."  
  
When Sue said that, the two men in the room could do nothing but gape at the device.  
  
"Th...th...that must be that time machine Reed was talking about. He and Mary are really the only ones who know how to operate it!" Johnny gasped.  
  
"I know. It is not going to be easy boys, and Reed will not like this, but we are going to have to play around with this machine's controls if we are to save them." Sue said in response to what Johnny let out.  
  
While that conversation took place between Sue and Johnny, Ben stared at the contraption in both wonderment and confusion.  
  
"Geez... well looks like ya guys will have to work thiz thang without me..." Ben said in reluctance as he slowly tried to creep out of the lab, only to walk into an invisible force field Sue had set up in time.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh. You are going to help us too Ben. Just so you know, Johnny and I are just as, or even more confused about the time machine like you are." Sue said in a firm tone.  
  
Ben sighed, as he came back to where Sue and Johnny were standing in front of the space/time apparatus.  



	5. 

As Reed and Mary sipped their tea, a muffled discussion took place between them.  
  
"Now, do you believe me?" Mary asked, almost saucily.  
  
"Until we see this Mr. Holmes Mary, no." Reed replied, kind of irately, then continued.  
  
"If this is actually Sherlock Holmes Mary, what are we going to do? We do not have a case to consult him about!"  
  
Mary responded in a voice that was a cross between sarcastic and shocked.  
  
"I am very surprised at you Father. You are the very last person I would expect to say, "What are we going to do?" on the entire planet, no, make that universe. Everyone, including I know you are one of smartest people in America Father. To cut to the chase, why don't you cook up a case before it is too late?"  
  
Without saying a word, Reed sat in his chair, sipping the tea Mrs. Hudson gave him ten minutes earlier, and pondered what kind of "case" should be given to the man named Mr. Holmes he and Mary were getting ready to meet. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mrs. Hudson returned to the room Reed and Mary were waiting patiently in.  
  
"I hope you found the tea and scones to your liking. Mr. Holmes is now ready to see you. Just proceed on up the stairs."  
  
As she said that, Mrs. Hudson led the duo to the stairwell across from the miniature room they had just left. After guiding them, Mrs. Hudson went back into the tiny parlor. Reed and Mary looked at each other, then at top of the stairs.  
  
"Well Father, are you ready to be disproved in your theory that Sherlock Holmes has never existed?" Mary asked sarcastically.  
  
Reed did not say or do anything, except give Mary a slightly dirty look as they slowly trodded up the stairs to Mr. Holmes' apartment. Time seemed to slow to a halt as the pair made the trip up. When they finally reached the top, both Reed and Mary would not admit to it, but they were extremely nervous. Despite this nervousness, Reed prepared to gently knock on the door to the apartment, when he and Mary heard.  
  
"Watson, our visitors are outside, open the door to let them in!"  
  
With a slight creek, the door opened, and out came a well built, middle-aged man in a gray suit, and a bushy moustache covering the area above his upper lip. At the first glance of Reed and Mary, Dr. Watson stretched out his arm, and held out his hand for Reed to shake.  
  
"Good evening sir! Will you please come in!" Watson said in greeting Reed.  
  
As soon as Reed entered, Mary followed behind. Watson saw her, and exclaimed.  
  
"What an adorable lass! What is your name?"  
  
Mary, being so tense due to the excitement of actually getting to talk to two of the most famous characters in literature, could barely get out what Watson requested from her.  
  
"M...m...m...mary!"  
  
"Is she shy?' Watson asked Reed.  
  
"Well, yes she is, what do you prefer I call you?" Reed said in a much calmer demeanor than his stepdaughter.  
  
"Watson is fine." Watson replied gently.  
  
The room Watson led Reed and Mary into was much more nicely sized than the parlor the stepfather and stepdaughter had waited in. In the room, various portraits and maps hung on the walls. There were four chairs, one at the desk on one side, and the other three positioned in the center, making a quaint living area. The desk had interesting kinds of miscellany upon it. This miscellany included a violin, a small area set up to do chemistry experiments at, a pipe, and neat piles of papers and books. When nobody was looking, Mary pinched herself on the arm to make sure she was not dreaming. As Watson and his guests walked into the room, the floorboards beneath them squeaked. It was not that loud a noise, but it was audible enough for one particular person, who was sitting at the desk to hear. From behind the turned chair in front of the desk, a sardonic, yet uniquely kind voice sounded.  
  
"Watson, my friend, you have had your juncture with our guests. They have come to consult me, not you."  
  
Swiftly, the chair at the desk turned with a sound similar to the door opening, and in it was the legendary consulting detective and star of over sixty works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes. He had the exact appearance as the man Mary had seen in the illustrations in her book. The man in the chair before Reed and Mary had the piercing eyes, the black hair, the hawk-like nose, the thin lips, and the gaunt appearance he was described in the stories to have. It was not obvious, but Mary felt like she was in a state of euphoria. She glanced at her stepfather, and gave him a look that said.  
  
"I told you so."  
  
Reed superficially did not see the sardonic glimpse Mary gave him, for he was just as amazed at the sight of Sherlock as she was. Sherlock quickly caught on to their consternation.  
  
"Your bewilderment at my presence speaks of the possibility that perhaps you have heard of me."  
  
Mary got ready to speak, when Reed gave her an expression that signaled he do the talking.  
  
"Why yes we have, Mr. Holmes?"  
  
"Very few people as in none have ever called me on a first name basis." The sly, thin man before Reed and Mary answered.  
  
"Alright Mr. Holmes, in response to what you said about us knowing who you are, we have read your friend, Watson's outstanding chronicles of your cases in the newspaper."  
  
All was silent for a second, as the dark suited man in the immense chair sat brooding. Reed and Marilyn looked to Watson, who remained quiet at his friend's requisition. He nodded towards the two as his way of saying thanks for their complimenting his work as a chronicler.  
  
"Do pray tell, what precisely are you here for? It is quite obvious that you are here without a case for me to dwell upon, and solve." Sherlock said with a penetrating stare.  
  
"Well, the truth is Mr. Holmes that we are newspaper reporters. We are wanting to write an article for the London Times on your simply incredible cases, and what your secret is to solving them." Reed responded.  
  
Again, silence followed. Mary noticed how Sherlock's eyes seemed to move about rather fast, as if examining her and Reed, but trying to do it with out being noticeable.   
  
"You can quit with the fibs Reed Richards, you are not a newspaper reporter." Sherlock astutely said.   
  
Reed had a look of amazed apallment on his face. He blurted out.  
  
"How did you know my name?"  
  
"It is absurdly simple. Your name is monogrammed on your parasol, Dr. Richards."  
  
Mary could easily tell that her stepfather could not believe it. She was extremely sure Sherlock could sense it too.  
  
"You see Dr. Richards, I could see in the room's reflection in the window you and your daughter's glancing around, observing everything within my study. I have always noticed the best of scientists and doctors to be highly observant. One of the many reasons I find my colleague here to be most valuable in accompanying me on my cases."  
  
Reed knew it was too late, Sherlock had already caught on to who they were. He decided before they were possibly in any more trouble, to let Sherlock know why and how they ended up in his study that particular moment.  
  
"I suppose you would like to know why my daughter and I are here..."  
  
"Well yes, Dr. Richards, that would indeed be of significant help."  
  
Reed told Sherlock and Watson about how he and Mary just happened to be outside of his apartment, and were standing there talking, when Mrs. Hudson came out asking if they were there to see Sherlock for a case.  
  
"So you see, my daughter here not taking time out to think, but knowing this was a chance to meet a wonderful, incredible, and prominent person like you very much had her say "Yes." before I actually said "No."."  
  
Sherlock and Watson stood there for a couple of minutes, with blank faces, contemplating the slightly true, yet slightly false story Reed had told them. Suddenly, in a way that startled both Reed and Mary, Sherlock let out an emphatic laugh. At the same time, a smile had formed upon Watson's face.  
  
"As queer as many would find this fact, I admire anyone, especially a child like yours Dr. Richards that has I believe what the natives of your country, America would call moxie. She indeed has been well trained by you so far Dr. Richards, I highly recommend you sustain your training with her. If I ever intend to marry a woman, and have a child, I would hope to have one as mannerful, but also as free spirited as your daughter, Mary, Dr. Richards."  
  
Sherlock's small speech did nothing more but increase the amazement Reed had for the strikingly brilliant man who had his pointer fingers touching each other in quite an interesting position while talking to him, and thinking over everything said the whole time. Reed got ready to ask Sherlock how he knew that he and his stepdaughter were from America, but Sherlock spoke before any words left Reed's lips, almost as if he could read the intelligent man from the future's mind.  
  
"The fact that you are not of this country is quite audible in your voice Dr. Richards. Everyone I have met and known who are natives of Great Britain have a very peculiar accent. You and your daughter possess rather extraordinary, yet plain accents. Accents only Americans can possess."  
  
Reed was speechless. He was astounded by not only the very powers of observation Sherlock demonstrated, but the very fact that he reminded Reed of someone he knew very closely in his own time and life, himself.   
  
"You and your child shall be receiving more than just an autograph from me and my colleague. You see Dr. Richards, I am feeling mighty generous this evening, and I am wondering if perhaps, you and your daughter would like to dine with my friend and I."  
  
"Well, Mr. Holmes, it is awfully kind of you to invite us to have dinner with you, but my daughter and I do not want to waste any more of your time."  
  
"Oh, you and your child are not squandering Watson and I's time at all Dr. Richards. As a matter of fact, you and your child strike me as being incredibly unique compared to some of the clients I have had over the past couple of years."  
  
Reed said no more about declining Sherlock's invitation to have dinner with he and Watson. For the rest of the evening, Reed and Mary not only enjoyed what was an incredibly scrumptious meal, they had what was one of the most intriguing discussions with one of the most intriguing men they had ever met. Sherlock and Reed conversed for almost an hour alone on the subject of chemistry. Watson and Mary descanted on who their favorite writer, and most favorite novel was. Mary found it amusing that one of the books Watson said fascinated him, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells happened to be on the subject of how she and her stepfather got to be where they were. Though, she did not tell Watson of the very fact that they got there via a time machine. Overall, it was one of the most interesting nights the three men and girl had ever spent in their lives. When the time had come for Reed and Mary to go, all thoughts on what had happened earlier between her believing, and his not believing in the very person they had spent an entire evening with had practically been abandoned by the two heroes from a time ahead.  



	6. 

It had been six hours since Sue, Johnny, and Ben's discovery of their leader and his stepdaughter's vanishing. Despite all that time passing by, the three remaining members of the Fantastic Five still had no clue on how to somehow bring back their oldest and youngest friends. Johnny, the team's only expert on mechanics other than Reed was totally baffled.  
  
"You know guys, I have never given it much thought, but now I wish Reed could have somehow labeled these buttons and levers. It would have saved us lots of time, trouble, and made for less confusion."  
  
"Ya know kid, even if Stretch took tha time ta create an instruction booklet for thiz thingamajig, we would still be havin' a hard time." Ben countered.  
  
"Could you imagine what it would be like if Mary was here? She would probably be laughing her head off at how we don't get how to operate this thing. Then, she would work with it as simple as if it was a toaster, microwave, or television. And then, rub it in more. Man, that girl makes me so sick sometimes." Johnny said as he looked over the control panel for what felt like the zillionth time.  
  
"Johnny! Mary might be a pain sometimes, but you know good and well she loves all of us. Even though, it may seem that she appreciates and supports Reed more than us at times..." Susan hesitated for a second, then continued.  
  
"Anyway, as much as Reed would hate for us to do this, we have no other choice boys, but to play around with the controls, and hopefully find which one will bring back Reed and Mary."  
  
Ben and Johnny could not believe what their possibly temporary leader was saying.  
  
"Sis! That will be like finding a needle in a haystack! Look at all those controls! There must be over one hundred or more of them!" Johnny interjected.  
  
"Tha kid's right Suzie. We may even be riskin' sendin' Stretcho and his kid to somewhere else, that iz if they're still alive." Ben agreed.  
  
"Please Ben, don't remind me of the possibility that Reed and Mary could be... dead." Sue solemnly said, trying to fight the feelings of sorrow attempting to overcome her. It was burdensome, but she was able to control the tears welling up in her eyes. And continued firmly.  
  
"Now boys, lets get to work carefully but quickly choosing which button or lever we feel will bring back Reed and Mary."  
  
And, without further dwindling, the three remaining members of the nation's most famous heroes under the leadership of the only adult feminine member began to consider which control would bring back their beloved leader and his trainee.  



	7. 

Reed and Mary walked alone, at 10:00 at night in the cold, rainy atmosphere of late 1800's London, on Baker Street.  
  
"Surely by now Mary, the others have discovered our disappearance, and are hopefully doing something to try to bring us back." Reed sighed.  
  
"Father, what are we going to do now? We have done what I've wanted to do. Heck, we even have a souvenir to prove we done what we done."  
  
Mary opened her book to the very first page, where Sherlock and Watson had signed their names, and continued.  
  
"You know, we can do what you wanted to do in the first place since our accidental arrival here, find an inn."  
  
Reed was silent for a time, then spoke up.  
  
"We can find an inn later my child. Right now, I am not even the least bit tired after our encounter with Holmes and Watson."  
  
Mary could not believe it; her stepfather actually admitted his excitement over meeting two of most popular characters in literature.  
  
"Wow! See Father, that was not as bad as you were apparently imagining it to be."  
  
"You are indeed right my child, it was not that horrid an experience. And you want to know something else Mary? I would like to apologize for how I have been towards you... well "today". I realize that I let my anger get the best of me this morning, and when we entered this time and dimension earlier."  
  
Mary was speechless for a little while, as her and her stepfather looked out at the view of London from the Westminster Bridge. She then spoke up.  
  
"Father, it is very kind of you to apologize, but you should keep in mind, it was in a way my fault we are here."  
  
"Mary, Mary, you have it all wrong. I caused you to become startled and drop that book. In a way, it is actually my fault." Reed said in response to Mary's not accepting his apology as he patted her head.  
  
"Ok, if you say so Father. You know, I'm wondering, what did you find to be the most interesting aspect of our few hours with Sherlock Holmes and Watson?"  
  
Reed brooded over Mary's question for a second, then said.  
  
"I would have to say that I found Holmes' thoughts and discoveries related to chemistry rather intriguing. And you my child?"  
  
"Well Father, while the discussions we had with them were provocative, I found an even more fascinating aspect of the whole thing."  
  
"And what was this fascinating aspect?"  
  
"The very fact that they brought up their going to Switzerland tomorrow in this time. That is precisely what they are doing in the story I was in the middle of reading today in our time."  
  
Reed stood there, enthralled for a brief period. Then asked.  
"Mary, by any chance, what story are you reading in that book right now?"  
  
"I told you earlier today, but your anger must blocked it out, I'm reading "The Adventure of The Final Problem"."  
  
Reed suddenly went into one of his thinking states. After only a minute of this, his eyes went wide as he realized something very vital.  
  
"Mary! Could I see that book for a minute? If this is the story I am thinking of..."  
  
Reed went into a mumble that was so soft; Mary could not make out the words. Then, Reed proclaimed.  
  
"Great Scott! Mary, do you have any idea why the story is entitled "The Adventure of The Final Problem"?"  
  
"Well to tell you the truth Father, I figured it had something to do with it the being the final time Holmes deals with Moriarty."  
  
"Exactly! Now tell me, what is significant about this?"  
  
Reed opened the book to the page that featured an illustration of a majestic waterfall.  
  
"Well Father, that has to be Reichenbach Falls. That was where Holmes and Watson were when I left off."  
  
"Ah, so you were not too far off from the climax. I hate to give away the story my child, but Holmes and Moriarty have a fight to the death."  
  
As soon as the words left Reed's lips, Mary turned as pale as a ghost.  
  
"Y...y...you mean Holmes d...d..dies?" Mary chattered and barely got out.  
  
"Well, not necessarily..." Reed said, and was interrupted by Mary.  
  
"We, we MUST SAVE HOLMES! B...b...but the trip lasted over the course of a few weeks. Father, if there only was somewhere we could just leap ahead a few weeks, we could change the course of history in this dimension!"  
  
"Wait Mary, if you would listen to me just ONCE for a minute..."  
  
Suddenly, right of in the middle Reed's saying that sentence, something phenomenal happened. A bright flash of light surrounded Reed and Mary. And, before they knew what was going on, they were no longer on the streets of London in the cold, foggy night, and were somewhere else.  



	8. 

Sue sighed as she took her finger off of the red button on the time/space apparatus' control panel, and glanced towards Johnny and Ben.  
  
"Well, it definitely was not that one."  
  
Ben brought his head down for a minute, looking like he was losing hope, and said.  
  
"Suzie, as much as it pains me to say thiz, we might as well call it quits."  
  
"I say we quit fooling around with this contraption, and call on someone who can somehow go back in time like Dr. Strange." Johnny added.  
  
"Well, my response to your suggestions boys is a simple NO!"  
  
Johnny and Ben reeled back startled by Sue's sudden outburst.  
  
"Whoa Sis, calm down! I did not say to totally give up like Rocky here."  
  
"Hey kid, I did not say I totally wanted ta give up! And by tha way, as much as I like those movies, watch callin' me stuff like Rocky. I thought we got over that crud a couple a years ago."  
  
Johnny and Ben began to squabble, much to Sue's rage.  
  
"WOULD YOU BOYS CLAM DOWN! Honestly, if both of you could just work together once without arguing. I believe I could see why Reed AND Mary got so fed up with you two."  
  
Sue then realized the power of two of the words she said, Reed and Mary. All feelings of rage and disagreement came to a halt as Sue then said.  
  
"Well boys, if they left us this way, then it should be possible to bring them back this way. Let's keep at it boys."  
  
And, so Sue, Ben, and Johnny remained working diligently to find the right switch or button that would miraculously bring their two best friends back from the time and dimension they were trapped in.  



	9. 

When Reed and Mary regained awareness, they heard a roar coming from nearby.  
  
"Oh man... where are we?" Mary said half-sleepily.  
  
"Well, wherever we are, it most certainly is daylight. Apparently, Sue, Ben, and Johnny have not only discovered our being gone, they are trying to get us back through the space/time apparatus." Reed replied.  
  
"That roar...we are not near...where I think we are near, are we Father?"  
  
"Now Mary, do you sincerely think that just because you wished you were at Reichenbach Falls..." Reed abruptly stopped when he opened his eyes, and saw the sign in front of him. He whispered to himself.  
  
"Reichenbach Falls. I will be darned."  
  
Mary's eyes gleamed as she took a glimpse of the falls.  
  
"I cannot believe we are the very place that story described so impeccably! You should take a look Father!"  
  
Reed heard something other than the crash of the nearby waterfall. That something was a group of voices, voices that Reed and Mary had heard and talked to two hours ago.  
  
"Ah Watson, breath in that magnificent mountain air. That is one pleasure you most certainly cannot enjoy in London." Sherlock Holmes said to Watson a distance away.  
  
"Mary! Quick, hide!" Reed murmured as he grabbed Mary's arm and went into a bush in time before Sherlock, Watson, and their guide walked out into the area the plastic fleshed duo had inhabited. The guide said to his two famous tourists.  
  
"Here gentlemen, is Reichenbach Falls."  
  
Mary got ready to say something, when Reed clamped his hand upon her mouth tightly, yet gingerly and went.  
  
"Ssssshhh!"  
  
In a period of ten minutes, the three men moved about the area. Sherlock and Watson admired the placid, yet loud beauty of the falls while the guide told them all there was to know about them. When the guide was through, Holmes paid him a little sum of money, and waved him good-bye. Then, Holmes proceeded to explore the area, seemingly admiring the beauty of the plants as much as he admired the waterfall. Amazingly, he did not inspect the bush Reed and Mary were hiding in. After what seemed like forever, Sherlock and Watson made their way back to the path that led to the top of the mountain. Reed and Mary escaped from the bush, and brushed themselves off of any debris as the younger one spoke.  
  
"Father, why the heck did you put your hand over my face like that?! I could barely breathe there!"  
  
"I had to Mary, I did not want to take any chances with Holmes and Watson seeing or hearing us here. They could think from their telling us about their trip to Switzerland that we are here because we were sent by Moriarty, which we of course know is not true."  
  
Right when Reed finished saying that, he and Mary heard someone else come up the path. It was a very thin, almost emaciated, and dismal man in a black suit, cape, and hat. The way he walked was very stealthy, like he was trying to sneak up on someone. He gave Reed and Mary the most menacing glance, and asked.  
  
"Excuse me kind lass and gentleman, but have you by any chance seen a man in a hunting outfit, and his colleague? I do believe they passed by this area recently."  
  
Reed and Mary immediately recognized this man to be the one and only archenemy of Sherlock Holmes, Professor James Moriarty. Mary said to the malicious man in the most cherubic voice she could muster.  
  
"I am afraid Sir that we have not seen anyone by your description go by the last few minutes or so. You are actually the only person we have seen come by. Sorry."  
  
Moriarty, trying to appear friendly, but easily showing his anger, walked off in a quiet huff, mumbling to himself.  
  
"Curse that Holmes, I SHALL find him TODAY!"  
  
"Well you should be proud of me Father, I actually dealt with someone evil without having to resort to violence for once." Mary said with a smile.  
  
"That is nice Mary, but we better move along. I believe three could play at the very game Moriarty is playing. Except, we are playing for the complete opposite of what he is playing for."  
  
With that said, Reed and Mary did just as Sherlock, Watson, and Moriarty had done, and headed towards the apex of the mountain.  
  



	10. 

It took two and a half-hours, but Reed and Mary finally made it up to the very top of one of the Swiss Alps. The whole process of getting there had made Reed and Mary all sweaty, and thus making their Victorian-style disguises very tight, and uncomfortable. The duo stood, waiting behind a rock formation for Moriarty and Holmes.  
  
"Do you think we are up too high Father?" Mary asked.  
  
"I would like to think not because I remember the story describing Holmes and Moriarty's fight as if it took place on the highest cliff."  
  
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Reed and Mary peered out from their hiding place, and saw that it was indeed the man they had conversed with earlier, Moriarty. He walked to the very edge of the cliff, grinning and snickering. In the most devilish voice, he whispered to himself.  
  
"I got you Holmes. You are right where I want you."  
  
Reed and Mary watched in fear as the diabolical man positioned himself in such a way that it was as if he wanted to fall off the cliff in a particular fashion, like he wanted to land on someone just perfect. The older one of the pair witnessing this well-known event knew the time to act was then.  
  
"Mary, my child, stay here!"  
  
Reed snuck out from his hiding place, and wrapped his legs around a huge rock. Once he felt like he had a good, tight hold on the rock like it was an anchor, Reed bounded towards Moriarty. Before the evil man could utter a word, Reed had grabbed him, and was heading downwards the cliff. Once he felt he was down at a good distance, Reed swung his entire body, and let go of Moriarty into the waterfall. All Moriarty ever voiced was a scream as he fell into the falls. Reed rebounded back to the mountaintop where his stepdaughter awaited him.  
  
"Well Father, that certainly was a bold move for someone who likes to try to not do others harm."  
  
"If you want to know something my child, I did what I did there because I figured since it already happened once according to Doyle, there was no harm in letting it happen again. But at least this time, we saved two friends some hassles."  
  
Mary smiled at her stepfather, and said no more as they strolled down the mountain.  
  



	11. 

Sherlock Holmes stood on the second highest cliff of the incredibly tall mountain strongly stunned as Watson ran to him.  
  
"Holmes! Did you see what I saw? A man who appeared to be made out of rubber threw someone who looked like that man you told me about off of the mountain, and into the falls!"  
  
Holmes did not speak, but instead took on a state of brooding, while Watson looked like he was getting ready to have a heart attack from his being intensely excited.  
  
"Holmes, did you hear me?"  
  
"Yes I did Watson, yes I did. Did that "man made out of rubber" perhaps look quite familiar to you?"  
  
"Well, I honestly could not make out his face Holmes. Who did he look like to you?"  
  
"Watson, would you believe it if I told you I think I recognized that "rubber man" as the kind gentleman we talked to approximately three weeks ago, Dr. Richards?"  
  
"Oh yes, the one with the simply adorable daughter."  
  
Suddenly, the two men stopped, realizing what they had just said.  
  
"Perhaps, I should take heed of your warnings about my using cocaine and morphine Watson." Holmes piped up.  
  
"Keep in mind Holmes, I also witnessed what you saw. Maybe it is some of those chemicals you have been working with. I have read in medical journals how some chemists come down with particular, and not to mention peculiar diseases because of fumes and vapors from the chemicals they work with." Countered Watson.  
  
"Hmmm... That is right, you did see that man too. Which leads me to ask of you Watson to come out with your secret."  
  
"Holmes! What secret?! You are not necessarily inferring that I have been sneaking into your desk, and taking cocaine or morphine when you are not around!"  
  
"Well, I would like to tell you Watson that there is no other answer. The chemicals I have been doing my chemistry studies with are not known to produce any hallucinogenic effects. I should know, I always make sure the chemicals I use will not be harmful towards me, but also will not harm you or Mrs. Hudson."  
  
"For your information Holmes, I would NEVER pollute my healthy self with that seven-percent-solution you are always taking. And NOW, you dare say that I take it without your permission nor your presence."  
  
From there on, the two men quibbled because of the very sight they beheld of Reed doing what he felt was a service, but instead was a disservice that would lead to a break-up of Holmes and Watson's partnership.  
  



	12. 

Back at the Baxter Building, Sue, Ben, and Johnny were at loose ends in finding what they felt was the right switch to bring Reed and Mary back.  
  
"Now will you take my advice, and call up someone who deals with time travel?" Johnny asked Sue desperately.  
  
"Unfortunately, it looks like it's the only choice we have. I do not want to sound like a cheapskate, but I really hope they don't want money for this operation. But, it's to the point, I would be willing to give up anything to have Reed and Mary back." Sue said as she along with Johnny walked towards the mechanics lab's exit.   
  
"Yeah, I'm with ya Suzie. Anythang to have Stretcho and his girl back!" Ben exclaimed, as he got off of his knees to follow the Storm siblings out of the lab.   
  
While doing this, Ben unknowingly knocked a lever on the space/time apparatus' control panel up. Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared out of nowhere. And replaced by the light five seconds later were the very people Ben, Sue, and Johnny had attempted to bring back out of the vast reaches of time and space for the past eight hours. The three once leader-less members of the Fantastic Five all ran up to Reed and Mary, and said in unison.  
  
"REED! MARY! HAVE WE MISSED YOU!"  
  
A potpourri of hugs, kisses, laughter, and joy followed between the five superpowered friends. The celebration did not end there in the lab, it was immediately decided between the quintet that they would take their festivities over Reed and Mary's return to a restaurant, then a movie theatre. As everyone left the lab to get into some better attire for the party, Mary strangely took a little longer to come out of the lab. Before she finally came out, Mary turned in her Sherlock Holmes book to the page that showed Reichenbach Falls. Interestingly though, it showed more than the waterfall. It featured a man stretching out from a cliff with another man in his arms as if preparing to throw him into the falls. Mary smiled, for she knew this was a far better souvenir from her and her stepfather's journey than a mere autograph.  
  
"So this is where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got his ideas from, visions of that dimension Father and I visited! You learn something new every day..."  
  
Mary thought to herself slyly, like the man whose autograph was in the very book she clutched in her hand. It would be in that book she would eventually discover that like the picture she had just beheld, the ending to "The Adventure of The Final Problem" had altered too. Instead of Holmes supposedly dying, it told of how he lived due to "a man made of rubber picking up Moriarty, and throwing him off the mountain". Mary would also uncover when reading "The Adventure of The Empty House" that Watson and Holmes had separated for three years after the Reichenbach Falls trip because instead of Watson believing Holmes to be dead, Holmes and Watson had had a bitter argument over Holmes' drug use and his accusing Watson of trying out his seven-percent-solution without his knowing it. But, upon the discovery of her stepfather being in a Sherlock Holmes story, Mary ran out of the lab to get ready for the huge party and night on the town celebrating her arrival. Ironically, the movie her and her friends chose to see after they were done at the restaurant was The Hound of the Baskervilles.  
  



End file.
